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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29257155">Love is Blind</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysteriousphoenix/pseuds/mysteriousphoenix'>mysteriousphoenix</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bridgerton (TV), Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blind Date, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Requited Unrequited Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:28:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,347</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29257155</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysteriousphoenix/pseuds/mysteriousphoenix</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Penelope Featherington is a successful editor at an up-and-coming entertainment newspaper. She has wonderful friends, an eccentric (and slightly overbearing) family, and she is in the prime of her life. But, happy as she feels like she should be, Penelope feels like she is missing something.</p><p>Colin Bridgerton has been traveling for the past nine years, working as a freelance travel journalist. He loves what he does, but he's feeling burnt out and is ready to take his life in another direction. Is it time to settle down back in London? What comes after a decade of running?</p><p>A wishful Penelope, a restless Colin, a few nosy friends, and a blind date... Could Colin be the man Penelope has been waiting for, even after all of these years of friendship? Could Penelope be Colin's reason to stay?</p><p>(Rating is subject to change)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>149</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you to <a href="https://hidetheteaspoons.tumblr.com/">@hidetheteaspoons </a> for her marvelous beta magic!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Melody Palmer was a good friend, a wonderful co-worker, and entertaining to follow on social media. She was intelligent, attractive, and a great listener. Melody Palmer was also extremely nosy and determined to get Penelope married off as soon as possible.</p><p>“I just want you to know what it’s like to be as happy as I am!” She had explained on their walk to the tube station the evening before, “You deserve to have someone to cuddle with, to make you food…” one perfectly groomed eyebrow quirked with a knowing look, “to give you an awesome shag whenever you want it…”</p><p>Melody, who was happily married, thank you very much, knew that Penelope’s worth didn’t depend on her relationship status, her experience, or any of that stuff that society pushed in her face day after day. Pen was happy and felt accomplished, and she knew that it was enough. For now at least. </p><p>Three weeks previously, during their weekly Thursday night drink at the pub below their office, Penelope had decided to go for that third glass of rosé. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. She had been pushing herself at work and finally finished the big project she’d been working on for weeks. “One more!” she had shouted with a smile, and with a single clap of her hand and a wide grin, Melody had sprung from her chair and made her way to the bar with a giggle to order another drink.</p><p>That had been the beginning. As the minutes passed, Melody had begun describing her home life with her new husband, Adam. “He’s just the sweetest, and I am so lucky I get to go home to him each night.” She had gushed for several minutes, her cheeks tinged pink by the gin in her drink. “Marriage is….I’m just SO happy,” she had said before continuing her story about something Adam had been joking about the night before. Penelope’s eyes had lowered as she began that seemingly endless cycle of feeling sorry for herself. She usually didn’t get this way, but wine took her mood one of two ways: extreme happiness with a side of giggling or tears of sadness. Unfortunately, she thought, it was the latter this evening.</p><p>“What are you crying about?” Mel asked with concern, her story about Adam coming to a sudden halt as she noticed Penelope’s tears. Penelope wiped her eyes with a napkin, trying not to smudge the eyeliner she had painstakingly applied that morning. “Did I say something? I’m so sorry if I did!”</p><p>Melody’s eyes were full of concern as she watched her friend. Penelope’s gaze rose to meet her friend’s and she decided to speak her thoughts out loud, something she normally wouldn’t have done if it weren’t for the bad influence of cheap wine. “I’m…” she began before pushing her hair off of her face where it had fallen, “I want that. All of it. I just...I’m never going to get it.”</p><p>“What do you mean <em>never</em>?” Melody rested her elbows on the sticky table and leaned forward just a bit, closer to Penelope so they could keep their conversation more private. “You’re a fucking catch, Featherington. Don’t let anybody ever tell you any differently.”</p><p>Penelope snorted lightly as she wiped at her tears again, smiling at her friend. “Thanks. I wish men thought that, too.” At Melody’s confused look, Penelope continued. “I’m twenty-eight years old and I have only been on a handful of first dates. Only one of those turned into a second, and it never went beyond that. I’ve never had a boyfriend in my life.” She knew that Melody didn’t know her history. She had only been working for the Entertainment Enquirer for a few months. They had hit it off immediately, but Penelope tended to keep her work life and private life separated. Until now at least. Damn wine…</p><p>Melody looked surprised, but not judgemental as Penelope had feared. “That’s okay!” she had said, placing a cool hand over her friend’s, “You have plenty of time. You’re only twenty-eight.”</p><p>“Well, according to my mother, that’s ancient, so…”</p><p>“Your mother can keep that negativity bullshit to herself.” Melody had interrupted. Penelope couldn’t help but smile at that. She had thought the same thing many times throughout her life but had never spoken the words out loud. “Have you tried online dating?” she asked, pulling her hand away to take another swig of her drink.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m not a fan though.” Penelope said, “Too much work and emotional investment just to get ghosted a week later. It was frustrating.” she twirled her wine glass by the stem, the glass scraping along the ridges of the table over the light hum of the pub. “I’m not opposed to trying again. I’d just rather do it naturally. I’d love to meet a man on the street or in a pub and strike up a conversation...have him ask for my number.”</p><p>“It doesn’t happen like that anymore, though,” Melody said, knowingly, “Everyone does it digitally, and the only blokes who approach women in bars are the dodgy ones that you don’t want anyway.”</p><p>Penelope laughed out loud at that, knowing that her friend was right. At least for the majority of men out there. She had watched a number of her friends have to fend those men off over the years. She shrugged. “Well, what do I do, then? I hate online dating and, apparently, I’m not going to meet my dream man in a pub. What’s left?”</p><p>“Blind dates?” her friend offered, draining her drink with a final, loud suck from her tiny black straw. Penelope closed her eyes and sighed. It had been done before, her mother and older sister had both tried setting her up with men, but their differences in tastes weren’t just in clothing. The men she had gone on dates with had been nice enough, but extremely dull. The awkward nights had ended with a wave of thanks and had never progressed to a second date, much to the objection of her family. </p><p>“I’m...not opposed,” she began, but at the look of intense glee on her friend’s face she held up a finger between them. “Uh uh, no. Listen.” Melody continued to grin, but her attention was on Penelope as she talked. “No random set-ups just to set me up, okay? Only men that you actually think I might like.”</p><p>“Of course!” Melody said, “I wouldn’t do that to you. I promise!” At Penelope’s look of concern, Melody laughed. “I promise, okay! No random blokes. Just good blokes.”</p><p>“<em>Smart </em>good blokes.” Penelope corrected, the corner of her mouth quirking up as she drained the last of her wine.</p><p>“Smart, kind, fit... With dogs. You know they’re a good bloke if they have a dog.”</p><p>“I’m a cat person…”</p><p>“Whatever!” Melody laughed openly, her sandy-colored hair falling forward around her face as she leaned forward. “Okay, okay. Good men only. If I can find one.”</p><p>“Alright. Sorted.” It felt good to laugh, Penelope thought as they grabbed their jackets from the back of their chairs and made their way to the bar to pay their tabs. It was nice to share these things with someone other than Eloise. Penelope loved her best friend dearly. She was wonderful and so supportive in every way, but she did not share Penelope’s opinion of singleness.</p><p>“I’m free this way!” Eloise had exclaimed so many times before, usually after a breakup and a drink or two, “I’m never getting married, I'm never getting tied down, I’m going to work, travel, and be free forever.” Every time, Penelope had raised a glass at her in support while knowing that someday her closest friend would eventually decide one of the men she dated was the one for her. She’d get married, and she had every chance to. Every man loved Eloise, so it seemed, and she had never been without company unless she wanted to be alone. </p><p>For Penelope? Being alone was her specialty. Or so it seemed.</p><p>Maybe Melody could help her. Who knows?</p><p>Grabbing her purse and flinging it over her shoulder, her mind still fuzzy with the effects of alcohol, the two friends walked toward the door.</p><p>*************</p><p>“So she’s going to find you a husband, huh?” Eloise smirked at her best friend as she shoved a cheese crisp into her mouth. “Hasn’t the blind date thing gone badly before?”</p><p>Reaching into the bag that was strewn on the couch between them, Penelope’s hand emerged with a handful of cheesy triangles and popped one into her mouth with a satisfying crunch. “Well, yeah...because my family set me up.” Eloise smirked knowingly. “Melody has good taste, and she promised not to bother me with it unless it was a truly decent man. I figure...what the hell? You know?”</p><p>“I don’t know what your rush is, honestly,” Eloise said, stretching out on the couch and trying to grab the bag of crisps with her toes. Penelope snorted and snatched the bag away, tossing it at her friend who caught it easily.</p><p>“Rush? We are almost thirty, El…”</p><p>“We’re twenty-eight, and we are in the prime of our lives.”</p><p>“Well, at least you <em>could</em> get married if you wanted to.” Eloise’s smile broke as she looked over at her friend. “I’m just saying that it’s been eight years since a bloke has asked me out. <em>Eight.</em> As my mother <em>constantly</em> reminds me, I’m not getting any younger.” </p><p>Eloise sighed and straightened her body, sitting cross-legged on the couch. Her baggy t-shirt was draped over her thighs and her face was drawn. “Pen, I…”</p><p>“It’s fine. Really,” she emphasized as her friend looked at her sadly, “I’m happy. I just want that, though. I have the career, and I love what I do, but...marriage, kids, you know? It’s what I’ve always wanted.”</p><p>“I know.” Eloise sighed, dropping the bag of crisps off the side of the couch and sliding closer to her friend. “You’ll find him someday.”</p><p>“Will I?” Penelope sighed and looked down at her lap, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her cotton leggings.</p><p>“Yes. You will. I know you will.” Eloise placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder and Penelope’s mouth quirked at the corner. Several moments passed before Eloise broke the silence. “What do you think about—”</p><p>
  <em>Knock, knock, knock.</em>
</p><p>Eloise stopped mid-question and looked curiously at Penelope who shook her head, just as confused by the sudden knock at the door as her friend. With a dramatic shrug of her shoulders, Eloise launched herself off the sofa and walked to the door. She carefully looked through the small window next to the door before snickering to herself and opening the door wide. On her doorstep was a very cold and very wet Colin Bridgerton.</p><p>“What the hell, Colin?” She laughed as Colin pushed past his sister into the dim light of the entryway. </p><p>“I got locked out of Anthony’s house. It’s raining.”</p><p>“I can see that, yes…”</p><p>Colin smirked and shook his head, spraying Eloise in the face with a stream of water droplets. </p><p>“<em>Colin!</em>” she shrieked, her hand flying up to protect her face from the onslaught. “Stop! Christ… you’re getting things all wet.” She backed up several steps before turning toward her bedroom. “I’ll get you a towel.”</p><p>“Thank you,” he said smugly. It was then that he heard laughter from the living room and turned to his right. “Pen! How are you?”</p><p>“A little drier than you at the moment,” she quipped. He grinned at her as he toed off his trainers. “I didn’t know you were home.” She was surprised to see him. It had been several months since he had been in London. He had flown to Brazil to write for some magazine or other and he ended up traveling all over the continent. His posts on Instagram were always beautiful sunsets and greenery, oceans and rainforests...he lived a life of adventure. She wasn’t jealous of the months away from home, she didn't want that part, but the freedom to know that she <em>could </em>if she wanted to...it would be nice. </p><p>“I flew in yesterday morning,” he replied, taking the towel Eloise offered him and scrubbing his hair with it. “Long plane ride. I slept most of yesterday.”</p><p>“Yeah, I went to see him last night, the first time in months, and he was <em>sleeping</em>,” Eloise added as she made her way back to the couch. She flopped down ungracefully next to Penelope. He looked up and grinned, his wet hair falling over his forehead as he leaned over to towel off his legs and feet. </p><p>“Well, I’m here now.” He stood up straight and flung the towel over his shoulder without thought. “Also, I could use some clothes. Damn it.”</p><p>“I have some—”</p><p>“You’re tiny, El. Nothing you have fits me.”</p><p>Rolling her eyes, Eloise put up a finger to shush him and began again. “What I was <em>trying </em>to say is that I think Sean left some joggers here before we broke up. I don’t think I ever gave them back. Hold on…” She pushed herself up off the couch and returned to her bedroom, emerging moments later with a folded pair of gray trousers. “No shirts, though. Sorry.”</p><p>“Okay, thanks.” </p><p>Penelope jumped up, rushing over to the corner of the room where her purse was sitting neatly, a yellow jumper splayed across the top. “Here! I brought this with me in case it was cold on my walk home.” She grabbed the jumper and handed it over to Colin who took it.</p><p>“You’re tiny, too,” he said as he eyed the garment.</p><p>“Oh...thank you,” she said, startled, her cheeks flushing with color as she thought that he was the first person to ever call her tiny. It sent warmth through her body, even though she knew he hadn’t intended it as flattery, merely as his observation. “It’s big on me, so it should fit you,” she added.</p><p>“Great, thanks!” he said as he looked up at her with a smile. He pointed at the loo and smiled at the girls as he slipped inside and shut the door.</p><p>After several moments of sudden quiet, Eloise spoke. “Well, there goes girls’ night. Sorry, Pen.”</p><p>Laughing, Penelope shook her head. “It’s fine.” Eloise looked over at her with an annoyed expression, her head tilted back against the couch dramatically. “It’s fine for me, anyway.”</p><p>“Well, I guess if one of my idiot brothers is going to crash our night, Colin is probably the easiest to be lazy and gossip with.”</p><p>Penelope giggled, not just at Eloise’s dramatics, but also because her statement was true. Colin tended to know everything about everybody and one of the easiest people to talk to that she had ever met. He was charming and fun, but he was also <em>kind</em>. When someone spoke to him, he listened and he remembered things that were important to them. His charisma was a talent in itself, and it couldn’t be taught. </p><p>Perhaps that is why Penelope had been in love with Colin Bridgerton since she was sixteen years old.</p><p>When their primary schools had come together into the same secondary school, Eloise and Penelope found each other almost immediately. At the age of eleven, the two girls had found their other half and had begun a friendship that had now spanned over half of their lifetime. Colin came into the picture later, however. </p><p>Over the years, Penelope had seen him here and there, and had spoken to him on occasion, but it wasn’t until he came home from university after graduation that he decided to stick around for a while. This was when she had fallen for him. After years of being the wallflower, he <em>saw</em> her. He spoke to her and cared about what she said, he wanted to know her thoughts and ambitions. He was the first person she had spoken to about her writing, and his encouragement was part of the reason she had followed her ambitions and pursued journalism at university. She knew that she was, and would always be, Eloise’s friend. She was aware that he would never look at her that way. A girl could dream, though, and she had spent twelve years doing just that.</p><p>The door to the loo opened and Colin walked out confidently, despite the several inches of ankle showing beneath the too-short trousers. Penelope felt herself smile involuntarily as he came into the living room and sank onto the floor with a grace that was entirely Colin. He immediately leaned over, snatching the bag of crisps off the floor next to the couch. “Thank Christ!” he exclaimed as he reached a hand in to grab the snack. “I’m famished.”</p><p>“Those are Pen’s!” Eloise argued as she tried to grab at the bag, but Colin simply ducked out of her reach. Then he held the bag up to Penelope.</p><p>“Sorry, I thought they were El’s.”</p><p>“You can have them,” Penelope said with a grin, which was immediately returned. </p><p>“Cheers!”</p><p>Eloise grumbled, though Penelope could see that she was smiling. She could never be annoyed with her brother for long, it was nearly impossible. </p><p>“Oh! El, can I have your phone?”</p><p>“No. Why?”</p><p>“Because mine is locked inside Anthony’s and Kate’s house and I need to call him and tell him that I’m over here.”</p><p>Eloise smirked at her brother, shaking her head back and forth. “Fine. How did you manage that anyway?” she asked as she pulled her phone from the pocket of her shorts and tapped in the code to unlock it. She tossed it toward Colin who caught it easily.</p><p>“I ran outside to get something out of my hired car and realized I forgot my keys inside. I went back to get them and found that the door locks automatically. I had no idea,” he said with a shrug. “So, I was stuck outside with no keys, coat, or phone.” He ran his fingers through his still-damp hair as if realizing that it was still wet. “Lucky for you, you’re the closest...so I walked here.”</p><p>“Where’s Anthony?”</p><p>“I dunno, some fancy dinner party thing. He and Kate were all dressed up. Not sure what it was.” Colin finished scrolling through Eloise’s contacts and held up a finger toward his sister and Penelope as he dialed. Penelope listened as Colin relayed the same story to his brother over the phone before asking Anthony to pick him up on his way home. He leaned back against the wall, the yellow jumper enveloping his frame as he crunched on another crisp. Penelope wondered to herself if she would ever wash it again…</p><p>“Should I call in a pizza?” she whispered to Eloise as they watched Colin finish off the crisps as he hung up the phone. He tossed it back to Eloise easily before swinging his head to the side to catch Penelope’s gaze.</p><p>“Did I hear you say pizza?”</p><p>“Now you’ll have to…” Eloise said with a smirk. “You can’t say <em>pizza</em> in front of Colin and then leave him hanging.”</p><p>Penelope laughed softly through her nose and, with a grin stretched across her face said,  “Maybe two then, yeah?” She pulled up the number and hit <em>send</em>. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Once again, <a href="https://hidetheteaspoons.tumblr.com/">@hidetheteaspoons </a> is the best. Thanks, beta master!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“No, truly, she’s lovely. I promise!”</p>
<p>Colin smiled as he took a pull on his bottle of beer, shaking his head slightly at the eager look in Melody’s eyes. He was meeting his old friend’s wife for the first time and, by the end of the night, she had decided that he would be the perfect match for her friend from work.</p>
<p>“I feel like I’m at home with my mother…” he quipped, setting down his bottle and grabbing a chip from his plate. He popped it in his mouth and sat back in his chair. “Honestly, what is it with you ladies and matchmaking?”</p>
<p>Adam laughed as he crossed one leg over his knee and reached over absently to lay his hand atop his wife’s. “Are you sure you want to set Bridgerton up with someone you actually like?”</p>
<p>“Hey now…”</p>
<p>Melody laughed, flipping her hand over to intertwine her fingers with her husband’s. “Of course! He seems...I don’t know. I think they would be perfect together.” She looked over at Colin and spoke to him directly. “I’m not usually like this, I swear. It’s been about three months since she agreed to let me set her up and I haven’t found a single bloke that I think she would like. I just...I have a good feeling about you.” She shrugged a single shoulder. “Sorry if it is sudden or a little mental. It might be fun, you know?”</p>
<p>Colin smirked, “Fine. Okay.” Melody smiled widely and seemed to be almost bouncing in her chair, “But tell me about her first. What’s her name?”</p>
<p>“Nope! No names until you meet!”</p>
<p>“Why the hell not?” Colin asked in disbelief.</p>
<p>“Because,” she stated, pointing at him, “I do not need you two stalking each other on social media before the date. We are doing this right.”</p>
<p>“That...is buggered logic, but fine. What is she like then?”</p>
<p>“Well, she’s twenty-eight and works with me. She’s an avid reader and...she enjoys writing things that <em>aren’t</em> entertainment news when she has free time.” Pausing, Melody thought for a moment before continuing, “She’s one of the kindest people I have ever met.”</p>
<p>“Hmm,” Colin hummed as he tried to picture the mystery woman in his mind. He couldn’t even begin to picture her features because, frankly, she was a complete mystery. “What does she look like?”</p>
<p>“No way! None of that.” Melody shook her head, her curled hair swinging over her shoulders.</p>
<p>“None of what?”</p>
<p>“It’s a <em>blind</em> date. Blind.” Melody pointed one finger at Colin as if she was scolding him. “You don’t know what the other person looks like until you get there.”</p>
<p>“Can I trust her not to throw me to the wolves?” he asked, glancing over at Adam with a look of mock concern.

“I don’t know that I trust her not to throw <em>me</em> to the wolves…<em>oof</em>!” Adam swore under his breath as his wife swatted him on the shoulder with a giggle.</p>
<p>“No wolves, I promise.” Melody shook her head and grinned. “She’s really wonderful and I think you would like her.”</p>
<p>Colin took another swig of his beer. “Alright.” He slid his phone across the table to Melody who picked it up with a grin and started to put her number in the contacts list. “Let’s do it.”</p>
<p>*****</p>
<p>Five days later, Colin pulled open the heavy glass door of the pub where he had agreed to meet the mystery woman. He glanced at the text on his screen from Melody that he had received earlier that day.</p>
<p>
  <strong>She’s going to be wearing blue and said she will meet you at the bar. She likes white wine, FYI. ;) Have fun!</strong>
</p>
<p>He pressed the button on the side of his phone to wipe the screen then gracefully hopped up onto one of the stools to wait. He was quite early, the only other occupants were a couple at the far end of the bar who were entirely immersed in each other. Colin rested his cheek on one hand and checked his watch. Why had he decided to arrive twenty minutes early? </p>
<p>If he was being completely honest with himself, he was actually a little nervous about this date. He wasn’t new to the dating world, in fact, he was probably more experienced than he should be. At least that was what his nosey younger sister had told him several times over the years. However, there was something different about it this time around. First, he had never been set up in such a way. Who doesn’t know the name of their date before they meet them?! Then, he thought, he was in his hometown and not in some remote spot around the world. If he messed this up, she would still be around. She would still be working with Adam’s wife.</p>
<p>Finally, he had come to the realization that he was thirty-three years old and was, for the most part, done traveling. He had arrived home last week after a month-long trip to Portugal and had a surprising epiphany: He had no desire to leave again. Perhaps it was time to actually settle down and take life a little more seriously. He had applied for a few jobs and had three interviews set up for next week. He had found two possible flats that fit his budget and would be looking at both tomorrow. Life was falling into place quickly. His head was spinning from the speed of it all, and he wasn’t sure if the world was telling him that it was time to settle his love life as well.</p>
<p>Waving at the bartender, he ordered a bottle of Fuller’s and sat back to watch the football match on the wide-screen television on the wall. If he was going to be early, he might as well watch some Arsenal. </p>
<p>Moments later, the bell above the door jingled and Colin turned his head to look at who walked in. His mouth dropped open in surprise. “Hey, Pen!”</p>
<p>Penelope stopped short and seemed to be searching for something to say. Whoever she was looking for, Colin had obviously not been them. “Oh, Colin! Hello! What are you doing here?” She walked over to where he was sitting and stood just a bit behind his seat, her fingers playing with the strap of her handbag.</p>
<p>“I’m waiting for someone. I didn’t know you came here!” He turned his body around on the stool, beer in hand, so he could speak to Penelope face-to-face. She looked nice, he noticed. Her usually curly hair was tamed with care and she was out of the yellows and oranges he had been so used to seeing on her when they were younger. Being away from her mother had done wonders for her style...and confidence. Though, right now, she looked as if she could use a dose of that confidence because she was visibly nervous. He hadn’t seen her like this in a long time.</p>
<p>“I, uh...I don’t, really. I’m meeting someone here too. I’ve only ever been here once before.”</p>
<p>“Ahh.” After a few moments, Colin nodded to the seat next to him. “Do you want to sit down?”</p>
<p>“Oh, um...I’d better not. I’m waiting for a date actually. I...don’t want him to get the wrong idea.” She smiled awkwardly and huffed out a single amused half-laugh.</p>
<p>“True. Yeah, I guess that’s probably best.” Colin laughed, amused, “I’m waiting for a date, too.”</p>
<p>“Oh?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. A blind date. An old university friend’s wife set me up.” He took a drink from his bottle as he watched Penelope. “I don’t even know her name. No clue who she is.” Her shoulders stiffened slightly as she lowered her eyes to the floor. Colin tilted his head to the side a bit.</p>
<p>“You alright, Pen?”</p>
<p>“Um...yes.” She looked up at Colin with an unreadable look on her face. “Is your friend’s wife Melody by any chance?”</p>
<p>Colin’s eyes widened, “Yes…” he drawled out with a hint of confusion</p>
<p>“Oh!” Penelope barked out an awkward laugh and her head rolled forward as she shook it back and forth. “Oh my God…”</p>
<p>“What is it?” Colin was watching her with concern. </p>
<p>“<em>I’m</em> your date. I work with Melody.”</p>
<p>Colin’s mouth dropped open slightly, and then he registered that Penelope was wearing a dark blue jumper. <em>She’s going to be wearing blue and said she will meet you at the bar.</em> “Oh…” He couldn’t help it, fate was funny sometimes and he had to smile. He grinned at her and then began to laugh. </p>
<p>Penelope looked as if she wanted the floor to swallow her whole, but Colin was having none of that. </p>
<p>“Alright. Up onto the stool.” He swung the barstool around and gestured to her to sit down.</p>
<p>“What?” Penelope was confused now. She was holding the strap of her bag in an iron grip and her white knuckles were stark in the dark light of the pub. </p>
<p>“Sit with me. You were promised a date. I’m giving you one.”</p>
<p>“Colin, I… you don’t have to do that. I can go.”</p>
<p>“No, no, of course not. I have enough sisters to know that you spent time and effort to look this good tonight, and I want to make sure that it was worth your while.” He grinned at her and then waved at the bartender to get his attention. “I may not be the man of your dreams, but apparently neither of us are busy tonight and it’s been years since we’ve spent any time together without El. What do you say?”</p>
<p>He was grinning at her, that lopsided smile that made her stomach feel like it was doing cartwheels. He had no idea how he affected her, how when he spoke of the man of her dreams, <em>he</em> was the man she pictured. She knew she should leave, she should walk away because he could shatter her heart completely and not even know he was doing it. A fake date? It sounded like one of those terrible book tropes that she would read about in the trashy romance novels she hid in her closet so Eloise wouldn’t know about them. </p>
<p>But…</p>
<p>She couldn’t say no to that smile. This was a chance she had to take. Either she walked away and she could live life as she was, waiting for him to realize he was meant for another girl, or she could sit down, have a drink, and talk with her friend...before he realized he was meant for another girl. She really had nothing to lose, just the slight chance of heartbreak. It was worth it.</p>
<p>“Okay. Sounds fun!” She said, a smile plastered across her face to hide her nerves. As she sat down, a glass of white wine was placed on the smooth wooden surface in front of her.</p>
<p>“Melody said it was your favorite,” Colin said, gesturing to her glass with the neck of his beer bottle. She smiled with a nod of affirmation and held up her drink to him.</p>
<p>“To date night.”</p>
<p>Colin looked from her glass to the grin on her face before matching it with one of his own.</p>
<p>“To date night,” he answered as the tinging sound of their drinks meeting rang between them.</p>
<p>*****</p>
<p>“No, it really was!” Colin gestured wildly, his fourth beer forgotten on the bartop. “I have never seen a spider that big in my life.”</p>
<p>Penelope laughed heartily, another tear escaping from her eye as she gripped her stomach. She wasn’t sure if it was the quality of Colin’s storytelling, the three glasses of wine she had consumed, or a little of both that had her relaxing into the conversation and laughing so hard. </p>
<p>“What did you do, then?” she asked, gasping through her tears of mirth.</p>
<p>“I fucking ran away! It could<em> have</em> my bloody sleeping bag. I didn’t need it that badly.”</p>
<p>Penelope lost it then, doubling over in laughter as she pictured a half-naked Colin running from a spider somewhere in the forests of Brazil. “Oh my God,” she said through laughter, “that is hilarious.”</p>
<p>“Well,” Colin replied as he remembered his drink and took a long pull from the bottle, “I certainly didn’t think so at the time.” His head cocked to the side as if he were thinking hard about something. “I wonder if my sleeping bag is still there. Maybe it will go on to house generations of tarantulas.”</p>
<p>“It will be put to good use, then. A plush spider cave.”</p>
<p>“Indeed.” </p>
<p>Both Colin and Penelope finished their drinks at the same time and looked at each other, still flushed from laughing and a bit too much alcohol. It was getting late, but Colin was surprised to realize he didn’t want the night to end. How had he never known that Penelope was this much fun? He was enjoying her company. She was intelligent and witty, she was comfortable to be around, and she was… how had he never noticed just how pretty she was? She wasn’t a conventional beauty with flashy features. She was simply lovely. He wasn’t sure how else to describe her. Her eyes sparkled and her lips were full and lush. Her hair looked soft and he suddenly had the urge to reach out and touch the silky strands.</p>
<p>He wasn’t sure where these feelings were coming from, but curiosity was pulling at him. He didn’t want to walk away now and not know how the rest of the night could go. Maybe it was a bad idea, she was his sister’s best friend, but he <em>wanted</em> to spend more time with her.</p>
<p>“Want to get out of here? Get something to eat?”</p>
<p>“Oh!” Penelope smiled widely at the suggestion. “Yes, I’d— I’d like that.” She tilted her head toward the back of the pub as she slid off the stool. “I’m just going to slip to the ladies’ before we go.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, alright. See you in a mo’,” he replied, flashing her a grin as he pulled out his wallet to pay for their drinks.</p>
<p>*****</p>
<p>As soon as Penelope locked the door of the bathroom, she hastily pulled the zipper of her handbag back and grabbed her phone from the inside pocket. Two text messages, one from Melody and one from Eloise.</p>
<p>“Of course…” she muttered to herself. Both were texts asking how her date was going. She ignored Eloise’s, mentally reminding herself to answer it later once she was home, and slid her finger to reveal Melody’s message. </p>
<p>
  <strong>How are things going? I want to hear all about it! He’s good-looking, isn’t he?! </strong>
</p>
<p>Penelope closed her eyes and took a deep breath before tapping the call button. Placing the phone to her ear, she only heard one ring before Melody answered. </p>
<p>“Hello?” Penelope could tell she was smiling, excited, anticipating…</p>
<p>“Hey, Mel.”</p>
<p>“Sooo…are you home? Tell me all about it!”</p>
<p>“No, I’m not home. But…”</p>
<p>“You’re still out? It’s almost eleven!”</p>
<p>“Is it?” Penelope pulled the phone away from her ear and checked the time at the top corner of the screen. 22:49. Her eyebrows lifted as she placed the phone back to her ear. “Huh, it is.”</p>
<p>“So, it’s going well?”</p>
<p>“I, uh... yes, but…”</p>
<p>“But what?”</p>
<p>Penelope sighed. She smiled despite her conflicting feelings, almost wanting to laugh at the situation. “Do you know what my best friend’s last name is?”</p>
<p>“Eloise? No, why?”</p>
<p>“Her name is Eloise Bridgerton.”</p>
<p>Several moments passed. Melody was silent as she processed the information. Then…</p>
<p>“Oh my Christ. He’s her brother, isn’t he?” Melody, unable to stop herself, began to howl with laughter. “Oh, Pen! Pen, I’m so sorry! Oh my God, I— I had no idea.”</p>
<p>“Yeah. I’ve known him since I was a kid.”</p>
<p>Melody continued to laugh as Pen glanced over to see her reflection in the mirror. She thought she looked nice tonight, the new jumper she had picked up at the boutique shop near her office accented the reddish tones in her hair well. She was flushed from the alcohol running through her veins and her eyes were shining after her long bouts of laughter.</p>
<p>“So, you’re still out, then?” Melody asked once she had composed herself.</p>
<p>“Yeah...he decided that we would just go ahead with the night, even if it wasn’t a real date.”</p>
<p>“Who says it’s not a real date?” Melody interjected. “Did he pay?”</p>
<p>“Yeah…”</p>
<p>“Has he complimented you?”</p>
<p>“Yes?”</p>
<p>“Is he still out there waiting for you even though you’re on the phone with me while hiding in the bathroom?”</p>
<p>“I’m not <em>hiding</em>…”</p>
<p>Melody snorted. “Pen. It’s a real date. Go get some. Have fun.”</p>
<p>“But, I…”</p>
<p>“Goodniiiiiight,” Melody replied in a sing-song voice before ending the call. </p>
<p>Penelope grumbled under her breath as she repocketed her phone. She hung her handbag on the wall hook and turned to look at herself in the mirror again. She grabbed a paper towel to tidy the crisp lines of her eye makeup before deciding that she looked acceptable. She took a deep breath and made her way back to the bar where Colin was standing, leaning against the back of one of the stools as he tapped out something on his phone. The shuffle of her boots on the wooden floor alerted him to her presence and he looked up, smiling at her as she approached. That lopsided grin had made her stomach flip so many times over the years, and this moment was no exception. She wondered if he knew just how attractive he was.</p>
<p>“Ready?” he asked as he pushed himself up and slid his phone back into his pocket? She nodded as they made their way to the door. He pushed it open and held it for her as she followed. They turned and followed the sidewalk, falling into step beside each other.</p>
<p>Penelope turned her head to look at him. “Where are we going?” she asked as he met her gaze for a moment. He turned back to watch where they were walking and his hands slipped into his pockets.</p>
<p>“Were you actually hungry, or…?”</p>
<p>“Not particularly,” she answered. “I ate dinner before I met you.”</p>
<p>“As did I,” he answered, though Penelope knew that it wouldn’t have stopped him from eating a second dinner if she <em>had</em> been hungry. “How about ice cream, then?”</p>
<p>“That sounds nice,” she replied with a grin. </p>
<p>“Great, I know a place that serves late. It’s just up here.” As they reached the next corner, Colin placed a hand on Penelope’s lower back and steered her to the left. Even after he removed it moments later, she wondered if that spot would ever stop tingling.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Find me on Tumblr if that is your thing! <a href="https://themysteriousphoenix.tumblr.com/">@themysteriousphoenix </a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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